Puneet Varma (Editor)

Struthio

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Order
  
Struthioniformes

Scientific name
  
Struthio

Mass
  
Ostrich: 120 kg

Higher classification
  
Struthionidae

Phylum
  
Chordata

Family
  
Struthionidae

Speed
  
Ostrich: 70 km/h

Height
  
Ostrich: 2.1 – 2.8 m

Rank
  
Genus

Struthio httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Lower classifications
  
Ostrich, Struthio wimani, Struthio linxiaensis, Struthio coppensi

Ostrich at paignton zoo


Struthio is a genus of bird in the order Struthioniformes. Both living species are called ostriches.

Contents

Ostrich struthio camelus


Species

There are ten known species from this genus, of which eight are extinct. There are five more possible species of which trace fossils have been found. They are:

  • †Struthio coppensi (Early Miocene of Elizabethfeld, Namibia)
  • †Struthio linxiaensis (Liushu Late Miocene of Yangwapuzijifang, China)
  • †Struthio orlovi (Late Miocene of Moldavia)
  • †Struthio karingarabensis (Late Miocene – Early Pliocene of SW and CE Africa) – oospecies(?)
  • †Struthio kakesiensis (Laetolil Early Pliocene of Laetoli, Tanzania) – oospecies
  • †Struthio wimani (Early Pliocene of China and Mongolia)
  • †Struthio daberasensis (Early – Middle Pliocene of Namibia) – oospecies
  • †Struthio brachydactylus (Pliocene of Ukraine)
  • †Struthio chersonensis (Pliocene of SE Europe to WC Asia) – oospecies
  • †Struthio asiaticus, Asian ostrich (Early Pliocene – Late Pleistocene of Central Asia to China ?and Morocco)
  • †Struthio dmanisensis, giant ostrich (Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene of Dmanisi, Georgia)
  • †Struthio oldawayi (Early Pleistocene of Tanzania) – probably subspecies of S. camelus
  • †Struthio anderssoni – in N China/Mongolia oospecies(?)
  • Struthio camelus, common ostrich
  • Struthio molybdophanes, Somali ostrich

    • The earliest fossils from this genus are from the early Miocene (20–25 mya), and are from Africa, so it is proposed that they originated there. Then by the middle to late Miocene (5–13 mya) they had spread to Eurasia. By about 12 mya they had evolved into the larger size of which we are familiar. By this time they had spread to Mongolia and, later, South Africa.

    Evolution

    The genus Struthio used to include the emu, rhea and cassowary, until they each were placed in their own genera. The Somali ostrich, Struthio molybdophanes, has recently become recognized as a separate species by some authorities, while others are still reviewing the information.

    References

    Struthio Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA